Games are designed to fuel addiction. Game designers use psychological tactics and gaming mechanisms to trick us into spending a lot of money. Here’s what to watch out for.
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00:00Ever found yourself saying,
00:01just one more round while gaming?
00:03Or felt excited to open that next loot box?
00:06That is all by design.
00:08Worldwide, more than 80% of internet users
00:11play video games.
00:12In a systematic review of recent studies,
00:145% of participating gamers
00:16were found to have a gaming addiction.
00:19Games like Roblox or Fortnite
00:21are designed to keep us hooked and spending.
00:23Here's what to watch out for.
00:25Rewards and streaks.
00:28In-game rewards like badges or points
00:30trigger dopamine,
00:32your brain's feel-good hormone.
00:34That is what makes us want more.
00:35Games reward progress and repetitive actions
00:38like logging in daily.
00:39That's called building a streak.
00:41You wanna keep it, so you keep coming back.
00:44Those are the things where games cash in,
00:46letting you pay to restore a lost streak
00:48or progress faster.
00:50But there's something that makes gaming companies
00:52even more money than streaks,
00:54loot boxes.
00:55Here's the deal,
00:56you spend real money to get a random in-game reward.
01:00It could be a rare skin or powerful item,
01:02but the odds of getting it, not great.
01:05It's called variable reward,
01:06and it is very effective.
01:08You never know when you'll hit the jackpot,
01:10so you keep going.
01:11Researchers say it can be dangerous,
01:13especially for kids who struggle to recognize
01:16and resist the mechanism.
01:17Loot boxes are a big part
01:19of what's called microtransactions.
01:22You pay just a little, say a euro,
01:24for each loot box.
01:25Doesn't seem like much,
01:27but it adds up fast when you're chasing that rare item.
01:30A study by researchers
01:32at Central Queensland University in Australia found
01:35participants spend between 31 and 45 euros
01:38on in-game content per month.
01:40Multiple studies suggest a strong link
01:43between using loot boxes
01:44and developing a gambling addiction.
01:46Another trick,
01:47games often use fake in-game currency
01:50instead of real money.
01:51That makes it harder to track your spending.
01:54It gets worse when games are designed to target kids.
01:57Some games are specifically built to attract children.
02:01Roblox or Fortnite are great examples.
02:03Bright colors, fun characters,
02:05and references to memes and trends.
02:07But Roblox takes all of this to the next level
02:10by making gamers cash in on other gamers.
02:13By 2022, Roblox had over 61 million daily users
02:18and more than half were under 13.
02:20In Roblox, users can design their own worlds.
02:24Roblox developers encourage kids
02:26to use the gaming tactics we talked about
02:28to keep players hooked.
02:30The kids who design worlds in Roblox
02:32can even make real money from it.
02:34Creators earn a share of the revenue
02:36when people spend money in their worlds.
02:38By exploiting microtransactions like loot boxes,
02:41creators cash in.
02:42Researchers are trying to understand
02:44why too much gaming can become addictive and harmful.
02:47It's hard to tell the difference
02:48between regular gaming problems
02:50and full-blown gaming addiction.
02:53So how can you protect yourself and your kids?
02:56Here are some quick tips.
02:58Monitor screen time.
02:59Set limits.
03:00Apps like Screen Time for iPhones
03:02or Digital Wellbeing for Android
03:04can help you track playtime.
03:06Wherever possible, create a kid's account for your child.
03:10They often block persuasive features in games.
03:12Set a spending cap on your credit card or bank account
03:15to prevent overspending.
03:17I don't think it should be up to us to catch these tricks.
03:20In Australia, for example,
03:21regulators have started placing age restrictions
03:24on games with loot boxes.
03:25It's not perfect, but it's a start.
03:28What do you think?
03:28Should there be more regulations to protect players,
03:31especially children?
03:32Let us know.